The present invention relates to an apparatus for preparing an end of textile material and, more particularly, to an apparatus having dual suction conduits communicated with a suction applying housing having a suction slot for applying suction along the axial extent of a textile strand material package such as, for example, a yarn package.
In one textile process, a textile strand material such as, for example, yarn, is built onto a tube to form a yarn package. After a package is built, one common further textile processing step involves unwinding of the yarn from the yarn package by a textile winding machine. To facilitate the initial engagement of the yarn on the yarn package by the textile winding machine, it is known to dispose an end of the yarn on the yarn package in a preferred preliminary position on the package at which the yarn end can be readily accessed and engaged by the textile winding machine.
Preferably, a device for disposing a yarn end in a preferred preliminary disposition on the yarn package is capable of drawing off a yarn end from any random position along the yarn package and re-positioning the yarn end at the preferred preliminary disposition without undue disturbance or damage of the outer surface of the yarn package. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,027 to Wirtz et al, an apparatus is disclosed for preparing a strand or yarn end of a package of yarn or textile material and includes a suction applying housing having a longitudinal slot. The longitudinal slot is disposed in co-extensive manner with the body of yarn on the yarn package supported at a yarn end preparation location and suction is applied through the suction slot to draw in a yarn end on the yarn package into the suction applying housing. The suction applying housing is communicated at one end with a suction conduit extending to the suction source. Accordingly, the flow of suction through the suction slot is strongest at the one respective end of the suction slot toward the suction conduit and correspondingly diminishes along the suction slot towards its other respective end. In the case in which so-called large yarn packages are to be handled, or in the case in which yarn packages having so-called reserve windings are to be handled, it is especially critical that sufficient suction be applied at the respective end of the suction slot remote from the suction conduit so that, for example, a reserve end winding wound around the exposed bottom portion of the tube of the yarn package, can be reliably removed from the yarn package to foreclose the risk that the reserve end winding will subsequently cause problems during a yarn unwinding operation at the textile winding machine. Accordingly, the need exists for a strand end preparation apparatus which can reliably engage a strand end of textile material of a package at any random location along the entire axial extent of the package.